IRON COUNTY – A 28-year-old Cedar City man was arrested by the Iron County Sheriff’s Office Sunday for attempted murder after allegedly threatening, assaulting and pulling the trigger of a shotgun pointed at his friend’s head during an altercation; the gun was not loaded.
Around 7 p.m., Iron County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a suicidal man, later identified as Curtis Lowery, at a residence in the area of 3500 West and 5600 North, approximately 5 miles northwest of Cedar City, the Iron County Sheriff’s Office said in a press statement issued Thursday.
“Witnesses stated Lowery was drinking heavily and made suicidal statements,” according to the Sheriff’s Office statement. “They stated he went to a corner of the property and began cutting on his arms. One of his friends, the (alleged) victim in this case, went to him and tried to stop him. Lowery then attacked the (alleged) victim with a large piece of wood. Lowery also threatened to kill the (alleged) victim.”
Lowery then left the residence and began walking down the road. The friend and another witness drove to get Lowery for fear that he may hurt himself, the Sheriff’s Office statement said. When they reached him, there was a struggle over a shotgun that was in the vehicle.
During the altercation, the witness in the van called 911, the statement said, and the friend was able to get the shotgun away from Lowery and run it to a neighbor to hold onto. The two were then able to get Lowery in the van and drive him back to the initial residence.
When law enforcement began to arrive, Lowery fled into a field behind the residence. Sheriff’s deputies found Lowery lying on his back and bleeding from several small self-inflicted wounds on his left arm, according to a probable cause statement.
Lowery told deputies he was drunk and just trying to get home, the statement said. Deputies took him into custody without further incident.
Lowery was initially arrested and booked into the Iron County Jail for third-degree felony aggravated assault and a class C misdemeanor for intoxication.
“Approximately two hours later the (alleged) victim came to the Sheriff’s Office and told deputies he had more information,” the Sheriff’s Office statement said. “The (alleged) victim showed deputies text messages that had been sent from the suspect after he had been put in jail. The (alleged) victim also told deputies that while he struggled to get the shotgun away from Lowery, Lowery had reached down and pulled the trigger while the gun was pointed at the (alleged) victim’s head.”
The gun did not discharge, sheriff’s Sgt. Nik Johnson said, it was not loaded.
After receiving the alleged victim’s followup information, the Sheriff’s Office statement said, deputies charged Lowery with additional charges of second-degree felony attempted murder and witness tampering.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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The man drove down the road to get his homicidal, suicidal friend with a shotgun in the car?
How did the suspect send text messages after he went to jail? “The (alleged) victim showed deputies text messages that had been sent from the suspect after he had been put in jail…”